It was standing room only inside New Bern’s City Hall Courtroom during the Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday night.
Many residents of Ward Six, some wearing “6” baseball caps, asked the Board of Aldermen to appoint Darlene Brown to the vacant alderman seat. The board remains at a stalemate after voting on May 13, 2025, in New Bern, NC.
Citizens of each of New Bern’s six wards elect an alderman to represent them on the Board of Aldermen. The mayor is elected at large to serve as the official head of the city for ceremonial purposes and preside at board meetings.
The Ward Six seat has been vacant since the end of July 2024 when the last alderman resigned to take higher office.
The city attorney told the Board of Aldermen in August that, “Statute provides that the board fills the seat. The statute is very clear that it is your prerogative, and you’ll do that by a majority vote of the board.”
On Tuesday night, several residents spoke in support of Darlene Brown serving as alderman until the next board is seated at the end of the year. About 25 people wore “6” baseball caps in support of the appointment on May 13.
Carol Tokarski, a former director of the Craven Arts Council, said Darlene Brown is very active in the community and is very qualified for the position.
She said Brown has served as the executive director of Craven County Partners in Education for over 12 years and coordinated funding between the Craven County Schools and the Department of Defense, BSH, the Harold H. Bate Foundation and several other organizations. She was the marketing and communications director for the local Chamber of Commerce for five years.
She also said Darlene Brown was helped created “A Dickens of a Christmas” in downtown New Bern so people could enjoy a Christmas shopping experience in downtown New Bern.
She said Brown had also served on the Public Radio East, Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corporation and Coastal Women’s Forum boards.
She said they need an alderman so residents can make contact with, especially during hurricane season. She asked that a motion be made to appoint Darlene Brown to the seat.
A resident said he has lived in Greenbrier for almost three years and a third of that time he has been without an alderman. He said not having an alderman deprives him of representation. He said 175 residents of Ward Six had signed a petition supporting Brown’s appointment.
Thomas H. Priest, Jr. said he was disappointed and displeased that he’s encountering injustice at the first level of government.
“My ancestors have fought and died and bled for justice, for the right to vote, for the right to be represented fairly and equally,” he said.
When he heard about the vacant seat he was appalled. He said many of the Board of Aldermen have attended an annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration and assumed that since they attended the event, that they support him, agree with him and participate in Dr. King’s “Where do we go from here.”
He said during the last celebration he said that they were going to start acknowledging that King didn’t want them to attend the event just to celebrate his birthday and say he was a great person. He wanted them to continue the work.
“I plan to share that as part of the report card on things we need to do to continue the work of King, that one day we may live in the beloved community,” Thomas Priest said.
Ethan Gaskins said, “We’re way too far into a vacancy that has left thousands of us in Ward Six without a direct voice. That’s not just a procedural issue, that’s literally, we’re paying taxes — that’s taxation without representation for Ward Six.”
“As a younger resident I want to build my life here, specifically in Ward Six. I want it to be a place where people my age can afford a home, start a business and feel like we belong in a civic conversation. But it’s hard to believe in a system that lets your seat sit empty for as long as this one has. When young people see that kind of disengagement at the top, it pushes us away from public service, from local investment and from putting down roots. We start to look elsewhere at cities that are listening, acting and including us in the process. That hurts New Bern, not just today, but in the long run. We can’t afford to lose another generation of engaged citizens just because we’re failing to act on issues like that at the local grassroots level.”
“We need a government that works and that includes every ward having a seat at the table. So tonight, I respectfully ask the board to do what’s right. Make the motion, fill the seat, restore Ward Six’s voice. Show us that the city believes in equal representation for every resident on every street,” he said.
Another Ward Six resident said Darlene Brown was experienced, principled, skilled and is ready to work tonight. She said the board has a chance to show citizens that the board listens to people and that they have the skill and the desire to solve hard problems.
“There are a lot of other important issues coming before the city. Let’s solve this one and move on,” she said.
Other residents spoke in support of Brown’s appointment.
About two hours into the meeting Alderman Johnnie Ray Kinsey left the dais.
Eight minutes later, Mayor Jeffrey Odham asked if anyone had any appointments and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Pril said a number of people addressed the board regarding filing the alderman position and made a motion to appoint Darlene Brown to the seat and it was seconded.
The mayor asked for a roll call vote.
Alderman Best said she wanted to do this the right way and asked the mayor if he thought Alderman Kinsey should be present for the vote.
Mayor Odham said that was up to the board and then said, “City Attorney, do you have anything?”
Barbara Best said she thought they should because she would want the same consideration.
Jeffrey Odham asked the Sergeant at Arms to find Johnnie Ray Kinsey.
Attorney Davis said, “In the spirit of efficiency, I’ve got one item to report.”
Odham said there was a motion and a second.
Instead of turning the gavel over to the mayor pro tem, Mayor Odham became actively engaged in the issue.
The city attorney told the Board of Aldermen and the mayor last year that “the mayor is the chairman of the meeting and is not to engage in robust discussion. Across the state, mayors ask questions and share thoughts, but if the mayor were to actively engage in an issue the mayor is to turn the gavel over to the mayor pro tem. If there is a rotation, Mr. Davis suggested the mayor not cast the first vote so it does not appear the chairman of the meeting is directing the outcome,” according to meeting minutes.
Jeffrey Odham said he believed there were only four meetings left until the election.
According to the meeting calendar, the board had five meetings. Two additional meetings were called that night.
He said, “I pushed very fervently at the beginning of this to fill this position with someone who was qualified experienced and capable.”
On Aug. 29, he told a candidate in an email that, “I knew who I was going to support and quite frankly, there wasn’t going to be anyone who could match the qualifications and experience of the former Ward 6 alderman and mayor, Dana Outlaw. As history will show, we did not always agree, however, Dana is knowledgeable enough to start on day one and fit right into the role with no learning curve to serve out the balance of this term. Anyone else, whether it’s you or any other candidate, will have a lot to learn in a short amount of time. I appreciate that some folks are quick learners, but city government is complex and since it’s not a full-time job, that adds to the length of time it takes to get fully acclimated to the role.”
At Tuesday night’s meeting he said, “We are at a point now where you’re putting your hands on the scale of the election.”
He said Darlene Brown said she wasn’t going to run for office, and she would like to serve out the term and he appreciated that.
“At this point in time, I would not vote. I’m not voting for anyone to fill this position. The citizens in Ward Six will chose that on October 7,” he said.
The audience booed.
Odham hit the gavel.
They booed again.
He said if they continue to do that, he will ask them to leave.
They booed again
Upon a roll call vote, Kinsey mentioned qualifications and said, “So, I don’t understand the definition.” he asked if they thought an ex-alderman or mayor was qualified to fill the seat. “That’s your opinion. You use your own opinion. I respect your opinion. Respect mine,” he said.
“My opinion is a qualified person is Dana Outlaw,” Kinsey said.
The audience booed again.
The motion failed due to a tie 3-3 vote with Rick Prill of Ward 1, Aldermen Hazel Royal of Ward 2, Barbara Best of Ward 5 voting yes. Alderman Robert “Bobby” Aster, Johnnie Ray Kinsey and Mayor Jeffrey Odham voted no.
Alderman Royal said to the mayor, “I thought you said you weren’t going to vote.”
Odham said, “I’m not voting for anyone.”
People said, “Shame.”
The mayor repeatedly hit the gavel and said if they continue, he will ask people to leave.
The majority of the audience walked out, some people said “Shame” as they left.
NewBernNow.com asked Mayor Jeffrey Odham, how would appointing Darlene Brown to fill the current term tip the scale of the election if she’s not running in October? He did not respond by press time.
On May 15, a group of Ward Six citizens said they were “skeptical of the mayor’s explanation for his support of another candidate who ‘could go to work on Day one.’ They point out that Ward 6 is now on Day 298 without a representative. Ward Six citizens intend to stay engaged. ‘We’re going to keep advocating for our right to representation and to support city leaders who believe in the importance of fair representation.’”
NewBernNow.com reached out to Darlene Brown for comment and she said that when she applied for the position, she “never thought we would be where we are now. My hope is that the aldermen and mayor can come together and appoint an interim alderman.”
Dana Outlaw served as an alderman for eight years and the mayor for eight years. While mayor, he ran for congress in April 2019 and lost the primary election to Allen Thomas. He ran for Craven County Commissioner in May 2022 and lost to Etteinne “ET” Mitchell.
When asked for a comment, Former Mayor Dana Outlaw told us, “I do intend to run for Ward six, quite a few important issues coming up in the near future electric service upgrades modernization to the system rates upgrades to our sewer system, as we continue to grow as a city, recreational opportunities and all of this will most likely come under a bond referendum.”
The Board of Aldermen approved the submittal of an application to the Local Government Commission for $24 million in general obligation bonds for streets, parks and recreation and stormwater projects on May 13. The city manager has said the board will hold a public hearing on the bond referendum.
Background
The current board was elected in July 2022 after the previous board decided to redistrict and extend their terms by eight months.
In December 2023, then Alderman Bob Brinson filed as a candidate for NC Senate. He won the primary.
On July 1, 2024, NC Senator Jim Perry resigned, and Bob Brinson was appointed to his seat.
Brinson resigned a week later and was appointed to fill Jim Perry’s seat as reported here. He was elected to the NC Senate in November 2024.
The Board of Aldermen and mayor have yet to appoint an alderman to fill the vacant Ward 6 seat.
Watch meetings via the city’s Facebook page, City 3 TV and YouTube channel.
By Wendy Card, editor. Send an email with questions or comments.